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United States Patent |
5,674,044
|
Ranes
|
October 7, 1997
|
Apparatus for towing motorcycles
Abstract
An apparatus for towing motorcycles behind a vehicle. The apparatus
includes a frame with a front stop plate, a bottom plate, first and second
guide members extending downwardly from the left and right sides of the
front stop plate to the respective sides of the bottom plate, and an
attachment bar on the forward side of the front stop plate. The attachment
bar is preferably in the form of an insert to a tubular type trailer hitch
mount and is adapted to be fixedly secured therein. An adjustable wheel
clamp with first and second prongs extends rearwardly from the front stop.
The wheel clamp is adjustable from a first width W.sub.1 between the first
and second prongs to a second width W.sub.2 between such prongs, to
accommodate wheels of different width. The prongs further include a
plurality of slots which are adapted for passage therethrough of
releasably securable fasteners therethough, so that wheels of different
widths may be firmly secured for towing. Also, a footplate is secured to
the bottomplate and is adjustable rearwardly and forwardly in order to
securely accommodate motorcycle wheels of different diameters.
Inventors:
|
Ranes; Paul S. (1307 SW. 160th, Seattle, WA 98166)
|
Appl. No.:
|
500030 |
Filed:
|
July 11, 1995 |
Current U.S. Class: |
414/563; 280/402; 410/19; 414/462; 414/537 |
Intern'l Class: |
B60P 003/06 |
Field of Search: |
414/462,563,537,426,430
224/537,924
280/402
410/9,19,30
|
References Cited
U.S. Patent Documents
2789832 | Apr., 1957 | Zumwalt | 280/292.
|
3428332 | Feb., 1969 | McCance | 280/402.
|
3430983 | Mar., 1969 | Jones | 280/402.
|
3776572 | Dec., 1973 | Bane | 280/292.
|
3778087 | Dec., 1973 | Kallenbach | 280/292.
|
3822898 | Jul., 1974 | Brownlie | 280/402.
|
3837513 | Sep., 1974 | Adamek | 414/462.
|
3843001 | Oct., 1974 | Willis | 214/450.
|
3912098 | Oct., 1975 | Nicotra | 214/450.
|
3979137 | Sep., 1976 | Lipscomb, Jr. et al. | 280/402.
|
4046297 | Sep., 1977 | Bland | 224/924.
|
4275981 | Jun., 1981 | Bruhn | 224/537.
|
4592564 | Jun., 1986 | Warnock et al. | 280/402.
|
4921152 | May., 1990 | Kemming | 224/924.
|
5145308 | Sep., 1992 | Vaughn et al. | 414/462.
|
5253410 | Oct., 1993 | Mortenson | 414/537.
|
5366338 | Nov., 1994 | Mortensen | 414/563.
|
5462398 | Oct., 1995 | Hymer | 414/537.
|
5531560 | Jul., 1996 | Bartholomew | 414/563.
|
Foreign Patent Documents |
2256403 | Dec., 1992 | GB | 414/563.
|
Primary Examiner: Merritt; Karen B.
Assistant Examiner: Gordon; Stephen
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Goodloe, Jr.; R. Reams
Claims
I claim:
1. An apparatus for towing a machine having a single front spoked wheel at
the rear of a towing vehicle, said towing vehicle having a rearwardly
mounted tubular hitch receiver, said apparatus comprising:
(a) a frame, said frame comprising
(i) a front stop plate, said front stop plate comprising a top, a bottom
portion, a right end portion, a left end portion, and a forward side
portion,
(ii) a bottom plate, said bottom plate comprising a forward portion, a
right side portion, and a left side portion, and wherein said forward
portion of said bottom plate is joined to said bottom portion of said
front stop plate,
(iii) a first guide member, said first guide member rigidly affixed to said
right end portion and extending therefrom and rigidly joining with said
right side portion, and
(iv) a second guide member, said second guide member rigidly affixed to
said left end portion and extending therefrom and rigidly joining with
said left side portion,
(v) said front stop plate and said bottom plate rigidly joined at an angle
alpha, wherein said angle alpha is approximately ninety degrees
(90.degree.);
(b) an attachment bar, said attachment bar affixed to and extending forward
from said frame, said attachment bar comprising a tubular hitching bar,
said attachment bar adapted to be rigidly affixed to and slidably inserted
into said hitch receiver in said towing vehicle and to be fixedly but
releaseably secured thereto; and
(c) a wheel clamp, said wheel clamp comprising a first and a second prong,
said first and second prongs comprising a flat, substantially parallel,
opposing tire engaging surfaces, said first and said second prongs affixed
to and extending rearwardly from said front stop plate;
(d) a footplate, said footplate affixed to said bottom plate and extending
rearwardly therefrom, said footplate having an upwardly directed surface
adapted to fit in a close abutting relationship against a wheel of a
machine being towed when the wheel is positioned against said front stop
plate.
2. The apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein said wheel clamp is
adjustable between (i) a first width W.sub.1 between said prongs, and (ii)
a second width W.sub.2 between said first and said second prongs.
3. The apparatus as set forth in claim 2, wherein said first and said
second prongs each comprise (i) a clamping portion which is in the form of
a substantially vertically oriented, generally parallelepiped shaped
bracket having an interior wheel engaging portion, and (ii) a mounting
portion which is generally perpendicular to the clamping portion and
adapted to be secured to said front stop plate.
4. The apparatus as set forth in claim 3, further comprising an adjustably
tightenable wheel securing pin, wherein said adjustably tightenable wheel
securing pin is tightened to bring said interior wheel engaging portion of
the first prong and the interior wheel engaging portion of the second
prong into frictional engagement with a front wheel of a machine being
transported.
5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein said wheel clamp further comprises a
plurality of keys, each of said plurality of keys adapted for
accommodating and removeably locating therein said adjustably tightenable
wheel securing pin.
6. The apparatus as set forth in claim 5, wherein said plurality of keys
comprises at least three keys, and wherein
(a) one of said at least three keys is located in a position corresponding
to the position of a felly of a wheel of a first wheel thickness T.sub.1
of a machine being towed; and
(b) one of said at least three keys is located in a position corresponding
to the position of a felly of a wheel of a second wheel thickness T.sub.2
of a machine being towed; and
(c) one of said at least three keys is located in a position corresponding
to the position of a felly of a wheel of third wheel thickness T.sub.3 of
a machine being towed.
7. The apparatus as set forth in claim 4, wherein each of said clamping
portions further comprises a multiple keyed slot, said multiple keyed slot
defined by multiple keyed slot edges defining multiple keys, so that any
one of the multiple keys can locate therein said adjustably tightenable
wheel securing pin.
8. The apparatus in claim 4, further comprising a pliable bushing, said
pliable bushing adapted to fit around said wheel securing pin so as to
provide a cushion between said wheel securing pin and a rim of the front
wheel of a machine being transported.
9. The apparatus as set forth in claim 3, wherein said first or said second
prong further comprises an outwardly flared wheel entry portion.
10. The apparatus as set forth in claim 3, wherein said mounting portion of
said first and said second prong each further comprises a plurality of
slots defined by edge portions, and wherein said slots are adapted for
passage of releasably securable fasteners therethough.
11. The apparatus as set forth in claim 1, further comprising a ramp, said
ramp having a ground end and a footplate end, said ramp adapted to extend
from ground level to said footplate end, so that a front wheel of a
machine to be towed can be easily loaded into the towed position.
12. The apparatus as set forth in claim 11, wherein said ramp comprises a
body portion, a landing portion, and a loading portion.
13. The apparatus as set forth in claim 12, wherein said landing portion is
joined with said body portion at an angle delta (.DELTA.) of approximately
one hundred fifty (150.degree.) degrees.
14. The apparatus as set forth in claim 13, wherein said loading portion is
slanted downwardly with respect to said body portion, so that said loading
portion fits snugly against the upwardly directed surface of said
footplate when said ramp is in the loading position.
15. The apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein said footplate further
comprises a plurality of footplate slots defined by footplate slot edge
portions, and wherein said footplate slot edge portions are adapted for
passage of releasably securable fasteners therethough, and wherein said
footplate may be adjusted between a preselected first rearward length
L.sub.1 and a preselected second rearward length L.sub.2, so that said
footplate is adjustable forwardly and rearwardly to accommodate any one of
a desired preselected front wheel diameter D of a machine being towed.
16. The apparatus as set forth in claim 1, further comprising a plurality
of stiffening angle portions between said attachment bar and said frame,
said stiffening angle portions welded to said attachment bar and to said
forward side portion and forming a wedge therebetween to minimize
deflection between said frame and said attachment bar.
17. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a hitch pin, wherein said
hitch pin is adapted to fixedly locate said towing apparatus with respect
to said hitch receiver.
18. An apparatus for towing a machine having a single front spoked wheel at
the rear of a towing vehicle, said apparatus comprising:
(a) a frame, said frame comprising
(i) a front stop plate, said front stop plate comprising a top, a bottom
portion, a right end portion and a left end portion,
(ii) a bottom plate, said bottom plate comprising a forward portion, a
right side portion, and a left side portion, and wherein said forward
portion of said bottom plate is joined to said bottom portion of said
front stop plate,
(iii) a first guide member, said first guide member rigidly affixed to said
right end portion and extending therefrom and rigidly joining with said
right side portion, and
(iv) a second guide member, said second guide member rigidly affixed to
said left end portion and extending therefrom and rigidly joining with
said left side portion;
(b) an attachment bar, said attachment bar affixed to and extending forward
from said frame, said attachment bar adapted to be rigidly affixed to the
rear of a towing vehicle; and
(c) a wheel clamp, said wheel clamp comprising
(i) a first prong, and
(ii) a second prong,
(iii) said first and second prongs affixed to and extending rearwardly from
said front stop plate, and
(iv) wherein said first and said second prongs each comprise (A) a clamping
portion which is in the form of a substantially vertically oriented,
generally parallelepiped shaped bracket having an interior wheel engaging
portion, and (B) a mounting portion which is generally perpendicular to
the clamping portion and adapted to be secured to said front stop plate,
and
(v) wherein said mounting portion of said first and said second prong each
further comprises a plurality of slots defined by edge portions, and
wherein said slots are adapted for passage of releasably securable
fasteners therethough;
(vi) wherein said wheel clamp is adjustable between (A) a first width
W.sub.1 between said prongs, and (B) a second width W.sub.2 between said
first and said second prongs.
19. An apparatus for towing a machine having a single front spoked wheel at
the rear of a towing vehicle, said apparatus comprising:
(a) a frame, said frame comprising
(i) a front stop plate, said front stop plate comprising a top, a bottom
portion, a right end portion and a left end portion,
(ii) a bottom plate, said bottom plate comprising a forward portion, a
right side portion, and a left side portion, and wherein said forward
portion of said bottom plate is joined to said bottom portion of said
front stop plate,
(iii) a first guide member, said first guide member rigidly affixed to said
right end portion and extending therefrom and rigidly joining with said
right side portion, and
(iv) a second guide member, said second guide member rigidly affixed to
said left end portion and extending therefrom and rigidly joining with
said left side portion;
(b) an attachment bar, said attachment bar affixed to and extending forward
from said frame, said attachment bar adapted to be rigidly affixed to the
rear of a towing vehicle;
(c) a wheel clamp, said wheel clamp comprising
(i) a first prong, and
(ii) a second prong,
(iii) said first and second prongs affixed to and extending rearwardly from
said front stop plate, and
(iv) wherein said first and said second prongs each comprise (A) a clamping
portion which is in the form of a substantially vertically oriented,
generally parallelepiped shaped bracket having an interior wheel engaging
portion, and (B) a mounting portion which is generally perpendicular to
the clamping portion and adapted to be secured to said front stop plate,
and
(d) an adjustably tightenable wheel securing pin, wherein said adjustably
tightenable wheel securing pin is tightened to bring said interior wheel
engaging portion of the first prong and the interior wheel engaging
portion of the second prong into frictional engagement with a front wheel
of a machine being transported.
20. The apparatus as set forth in claim 19, wherein said wheel clamp
further comprises a plurality of keys, each of said plurality of keys
adapted for accommodating and removeably locating therein said adjustably
tightenable wheel securing pin.
21. The apparatus as set forth in claim 20, wherein said plurality of keys
comprises at least three keys, and wherein
(a) one of said at least three keys is located in a position corresponding
to the position of a felly of a wheel of a first wheel thickness T.sub.1
of a machine being towed; and
(b) one of said at least three keys is located in a position corresponding
to the position of a felly of a wheel of a second wheel thickness T.sub.2
of a machine being towed; and
(c) one of said at least three keys is located in a position corresponding
to the position of a felly of a wheel of third wheel thickness T.sub.3 of
a machine being towed.
22. The apparatus as set forth in claim 19, wherein each of said clamping
portions further comprises a multiple keyed slot, said multiple keyed slot
defined by multiple keyed slot edges defining multiple keys, so that any
one of the multiple keys can locate therein said adjustably tightenable
wheel securing pin.
23. The apparatus as set forth in claim 19, further comprising a pliable
bushing, said pliable bushing adapted to fit around said adjustably
tightenable wheel securing pin so as to provide a cushion between said
adjustably tightenable wheel securing pin and a rim of the front wheel of
a machine being transported.
24. The apparatus as set forth in claim 19, wherein said first or said
second prong further comprises an outwardly flared wheel entry portion.
25. An apparatus for towing a machine having a single front spoked wheel at
the rear of a towing vehicle, said apparatus comprising:
(a) a frame, said frame comprising
(i) a front stop plate, said front stop plate comprising a top, a bottom
portion, a right end portion and a left end portion,
(ii) a bottom plate, said bottom plate comprising a forward portion, a
rearward portion, a right side portion, and a left side portion, and
wherein said forward portion of said bottom plate is joined to said bottom
portion of said front stop plate,
(iii) a first guide member, said first guide member rigidly affixed to said
right end portion and extending therefrom and rigidly joining with said
right side portion, and
(iv) a second guide member, said second guide member rigidly affixed to
said left end portion and extending therefrom and rigidly joining with
said left side portion;
(b) an attachment bar, said attachment bar affixed to and extending forward
from said frame, said attachment bar adapted to be rigidly affixed to the
rear of a towing vehicle;
(c) an adjustable footplate, said adjustable footplate having a rearward
tip end and adjustably affixed to said rearward portion of said bottom
plate;
(d) a wheel clamp, said wheel clamp comprising a first and a second prong,
said first and second prongs affixed to and extending rearwardly from said
front stop plate;
(e) a ramp, said ramp having
(i) a loading portion having a footplate end,
(ii) a landing portion having a ground end,
(iii) a body portion extending between said loading portion and said
landing portion;
(iv) said ramp adapted to extend from said ground end to said footplate
end, and
(v) said loading portion slanted downwardly with respect to said body
portion, so that said footplate end of said ramp fits snugly against the
rearward tip end of said footplate when said ramp is in the loading
position, so that a front wheel of a machine to be towed can be easily
loaded into the towed position.
26. The apparatus as set forth in claim 25, wherein said landing portion is
joined with said body portion at an angle delta (.DELTA.) of approximately
one hundred fifty (150.degree.) degrees.
Description
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
My invention relates to an apparatus for towing small vehicles such as
motorcycles behind driven vehicles, and more particularly to a novel,
improved apparatus which may be attached to tubular towbars for use in
towing a motorcycle behind a vehicle.
BACKGROUND
It is often desirable to transport motorcycles to remote locations for
recreational use. Typically, small utility trailers have been employed in
such applications. However, the cost of such trailers adds undesirably to
the cost of participating in such motorsports.
I am aware of various attempts in which an effort has been made to provide
an improved motorcycle carrier. Such attempts are largely characterized by
designs which include some sort of repositionable catchment or attachment
shoe or cradle for the front wheel of the motorcycle. One such design is
shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,430,983 issued Mar. 4, 1969 to J .A. Jones for
TRAILER HITCH FOR MOTORCYCLES. In one embodiment, his invention provides a
front or top clamping shoe at the end of an adjustable slide, and a bottom
shoe which pivots on a pin and latches in the towing position. However,
his device does not provide for a simple, positive attachment as provided
in my invention. Another design which superficially resembles the instant
invention to some remote extent is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,145,308
issued Sep. 8, 1992 to E. L. Vaughn, et al, for MOTORCYCLE TOWING DEVICE.
Vaughn's design uses a pivotable cradle to hold the front wheel of a
motorcycle.
For the most part, the documents identified in the preceding paragraph
disclose devices which require the repositioning and latching in the
towing position of various adjustable parts, and suffer from the
shortcomings that they may become unlatched in use, thus resulting in the
danger of loss of the motorcycle being towed. Also, some prior art
motorcycle trailers do not include any means for utilizing the trailers
with existing tubular trailer hitches, thus increasing costs for the
trailer system. Thus, the advantages of (a) my simple tubular hitch insert
design which may be used with existing tow hitches, and (b) the avoidance
of latches as a means to secure attachment of the motorcycle being towed,
are important and self-evident.
OBJECTS, ADVANTAGES, AND NOVEL FEATURES
I have now invented, and disclose herein, a novel, design for a motorcycle
trailer which does not have the above-discussed drawbacks common to those
somewhat similar products heretofore designed or used of which I am aware.
Unlike the earlier designs which attempted to provide a multitude of
adjustable parts for use in loading and unloading a motorcycle, my product
is adaptable to loading and unloading without resorting to pivotable,
latchable parts. Further, it is simple, lightweight, relatively
inexpensive and easy to manufacture, and otherwise superior to those
designs heretofore used or proposed. In addition, it provides a
significant, additional measure of safety in towing motorcycles.
From the foregoing, it will be apparent to the reader that one important
and primary object of the present invention resides in the provision of a
novel apparatus for towing motorcycles which simplifies loading of a
motorcycle for transport, and which improves the simplicity and safety of
towing motorcycles by reducing or eliminating reliance on pivotable or
latchable parts.
Other important but more specific objects of the invention reside in the
provision of a device for towing motorcycles as described herein which:
can be manufactured in a simple, straightforward manner of commonly
available materials;
in conjunction with the preceding object, have the advantage that they can
be easily and quickly installed by the user in existing conventional
trailer tow bars;
which in a relatively inexpensive manner can reduce equipment costs, and
enhance safety in the towing of motorcycles.
Other important objects, features, and additional advantages of my
invention will become apparent to the reader from the foregoing and the
appended claims and as the ensuing detailed description and discussion
proceeds in conjunction with the accompanying drawing.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
I have now invented and disclose herein a novel towing apparatus for towing
machines having a single front spoked wheel, such as a motorcycle, behind
a towing vehicle. The apparatus is useful for towing such machines
directly, without the necessity of providing a separate trailer. My towing
apparatus includes a frame having a front stop plate and a bottom plate.
The front stop plate has a top, a bottom portion, right end portion and a
left end portion. The bottom plate has a forward portion, a right side
portion, and a left side portion. The forward portion of the bottom plate
is joined to said bottom portion of the front stop plate, preferably at a
right angle so that the bottom plate extends substantially horizontally
and rearwardly from the bottom of the front stop plate. A first guide
member is rigidly affixed to the right end portion of the front stop plate
and extends therefrom and rigidly joins with the right side portion of the
bottom plate. A second guide member is rigidly affixed to the left end
portion of the front stop plate and extends therefrom and rigidly joins
the left side portion of the bottom plate. An attachment bar is affixed to
and extends forwardly from the frame. The attachment bar is adapted to be
rigidly affixed to the rear of a towing vehicle, and is preferably adapted
for sliding engagement in and being fixedly secured to a conventional
tubular hitch receiver. To secure the front wheel of the machine being
towed in the towing apparatus, a wheel clamp is provided. The wheel clamp
includes a first prong and a second prong which are mounted rearwardly
from the front stop plate in opposing fashion. The first and the second
prongs each have (i) a clamping portion which is in the form of a
substantially vertically oriented, generally parallelpiped shaped bracket
having an interior wheel engaging portion, and (ii) a mounting portion
which is generally perpendicular to the clamping portion and adapted to be
secured to the front stop plate. Preferably, the wheel clamp is adjustable
between (i) a first width W.sub.1 between the first and second prongs, and
(ii) a second width W.sub.2 between the first and said second prongs. An
adjustable tightenable wheel securing pin is placed behind the felly of
the front wheel of the motorcycle being towed, and is tightened into place
at any one of the slots which are keyed into the first and second prongs.
To protect the rim of the towed machine, a cushioned bushing is provided
to cover the wheel securing pin.
My novel towing apparatus provides a simple, secure device for towing
motorcycles. This design provides a significant improvement by reducing
complexity and manufacturing costs compared to previous designs known to
me for towing motorcycles.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWING
FIG. 1 is a side view of a tow apparatus according to the present
invention, shown mounted at the rear of a sports utility vehicle and to a
trailer hitch frame on that vehicle, showing a ramp for loading the
motorcycle into the towing position.
FIG. 2 is a side view of the tow apparatus first shown in FIG. 1, with the
positions of major components shown to various cycle wheels which are
shown in hidden lines.
FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the tow apparatus as disclosed herein,
showing the clamp portion in a first, expanded configuration to
accommodate a wide motorcycle front wheel.
FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the tow apparatus as disclosed herein,
showing the clamp portion in a second, narrow configuration to accommodate
a narrow motorcycle front wheel.
DESCRIPTION
Attention is directed to FIG. 1 of the drawing, where a towing vehicle 10
is shown having affixed to the rear 12 thereof a towing apparatus 14
manufactured according to the present invention. The towing apparatus 14
is shown during the loading phase of a machine 16 such as a motorcycle
which has a single spoked front wheel 18 being prepared for towing. The
front wheel 18 of machine 16 is driven up the ramp 20 until the front
wheel 18 is located in a stable, towing position in towing apparatus 14.
Then, to secure the machine 16 in the towing position in apparatus 14, and
as may be better seen in FIGS. 2 or 3, an adjustably tightenable wheel
securing pin 22 with outer cushioned bushing 24 is inserted behind the
felly 26 of front wheel 18, and then the wheel securing pin 22 is
tightened prior to towing.
Many important details of towing apparatus 14 can be easily seen in FIGS. 3
and 4. The towing apparatus 14 includes a frame 30 affixed to an
attachment bar 32, which is preferably provided in the form of a tubular
type hitching bar adapted to slidably engage and to be fixedly secured in
a conventional tubular type hitch receiver 34, which as shown in FIG. 1
above, is attached to towing vehicle 10. The frame 30 includes a front
stop plate 36 and a bottom plate 38. The front stop plate 36 has a top 40,
a bottom portion 42, a right end portion 44, a left end portion 46, and a
forward side portion 48. The bottom plate 38 has a forward portion 50, a
right side portion 52, and a left side portion 54. The forward portion 50
of the bottom plate 38 is joined to the bottom portion 42 of the front
stop plate 36 at an angle alpha (.alpha.) of about ninety degrees
(90.degree.). Preferably, the front stop plate 36 and the bottom plate 38
are formed into a continuous, one-piece portion of frame 14. Further, a
first guide member 56 is rigidly affixed to the right end portion 44 of
front stop plate 36 and extends therefrom and rigidly joins with the right
side portion 52 of the bottom plate 38. A second guide member 58 is
rigidly affixed to the left end portion 46 of front stop plate 36 and
extends therefrom and rigidly joins with the left side portion 54.
A footplate 60 of width R, and preferably adjustable forwardly and
rearwardly, is affixed to the bottom plate 38 and extends rearwardly
therefrom. Footplate 60 has a base portion 61 and an upwardly directed
portion 62, preferably bent at an angle beta (.beta.) of about thirty
degrees (30.degree.) upward from the base portion, to provide an upwardly
directed surface 63 adapted to fit closely against the front wheel 18 of
the machine 16 being towed, when wheel 18 is positioned against the front
stop plate 36. The footplate has therein a plurality of longitudinal
(rearward/forward running) footplate slots 64, defined by footplate slot
edge portions 66, which are adapted for passage of releasably securable
fasteners 68 therethough. By releasing the fasteners 68 (shown here in a
nut N and bolt B configuration), the footplate 60 and upwardly directed
surface 63 may be adjusted between a preselected first rearward length
location L.sub.1 and a preselected second rearward length location L.sub.2
(where the upwardly directed surface is indicated by reference numeral
63'). In this manner, the adjustable footplate 60 allows the towing
apparatus 14 to accommodate any desired preselected wheel diameter D of a
machine 16 being towed (for instance, wheel 18 or a different wheel 18'
with felly 26' as set forth in broken lines in FIG. 2). As a result, any
wheel 18 of preselected diameter D fits snugly between the front stop
plate 36 and the upwardly directed surface 63 of the footplate 60, and
closely between first and second guide members 56 and 58, respectively.
Importantly, a wheel clamp 70 is provided to further secure the wheel 18 to
the towing apparatus 14. Wheel clamp 70 has first 72 and a second 74
prongs, which extend rearwardly from the front stop plate 36 for a
distance sufficient to allow the prongs 72 and 74 to engage the rubber
tire portion 75 of wheel 18. The first 72 and second 74 prongs each are
preferably configured with (i) a clamping portion (here shown by reference
numerals 76 and 78 for the first 72 and second 74 prongs, respectively),
each of which are normally in the form of a vertically oriented, generally
parallelepiped shape and having interior wheel engaging portions
(reference numerals 80 and 82, respectively), and (ii) a mounting portion
(84 and 86, respectively) which is generally perpendicular to the clamping
portions 76 and 78. The mounting portions 84 and 86 are secured, and
preferably releasably secured, to the front stop plate 36 by first and
second fasteners 90 and 92, here shown as adjustable fasteners using nut N
and bolt B combinations.
Mounting portion 84 of first prong 72 includes first and second mounting
portion slots 94 and 96, defined by first and second mounting portion slot
edges 98 and 100, respectively. Mounting portion 86 of second prong 74
includes third and fourth mounting portion slots 102 and 104 (indicated by
hidden line of edge 108) defined by third and fourth mounting portion
edges 106 and 108 respectively. The releasably securable adjustable
fastener 90 travels through slots 94 and 102, and the releasably securable
adjustable fastener 92 travels through slots 96 and 104, allowing prongs
72 and 74 to be adjusted between a first position with width W.sub.1
between prongs 72 and 74 (as seen in FIG. 3) and a second position with
width W.sub.2 between prongs 72 and 74 (as seen in FIG. 4). When the width
W is changed, a new compressible bushing is used as appropriate, such as
bushing 24' as indicated in FIG. 4 with width W.sub.2 spacing between
prongs 72 and 74.
The adjustably tightenable wheel securing pin 22 is tightened (as shown,
with wingnut 110) to bring the interior wheel engaging portion 80 of the
first prong 72 and the interior wheel engaging portion 82 of the second
prong 74 into frictional engagement with the rubber tire portion 75 of
front wheel 18 of the machine 16 being transported. Also, to assist in
guiding the rubber tire portion 75 of wheel 18 into the clamp 70, prongs
72 and 74 are preferably provided with outwardly flared wheel entry
portions 112 and 114, respectively.
I have found it advantageous, in order to secure the machine 16 in the
towing apparatus 14, to provide in prongs 72 and 74 a set of preferably
mirror image multiple keyed slots 120 (the duplicate keyed slots will be
referenced with a single set of reference numerals as the features are
replicated in prongs 72 and 74). The multiple keyed slots 120 provided in
each of prongs 72 and 74 are defined by multiple keyed slot edges 122
which locate multiple keys (three keys 124, 126, and 128 are illustrated),
so that any one of the sets of multiple keys 124, 126, or 128 can
cooperate to locate and seat therein the adjustably tightenable wheel
securing pin 22. As noted above, a compressible, pliable bushing 24 or 24'
provides a cushion between pin 22 and the felly 26 of wheel 18. As
indicated in FIG. 2, the towing apparatus 14 preferably includes three or
more keys (here noted as keys 124, 126, and 128), so that at least one of
the available keys is located in (a) the position of the felly of a wheel
of a first preselected wheel thickness T.sub.1 of a machine 16 such as a
motorcycle being towed, or (b) in the position of the felly of a wheel of
a second preselected wheel thickness T.sub.2 of a machine 16 being towed,
or (c) in the position of the felly of a wheel of third preselected wheel
thickness T.sub.3 of a machine being towed. Comparing FIG. 4 and FIG. 2,
FIG. 2 indicates that the middle key, 126, is utilized to locate pin 22 as
shown in FIG. 2 to accommodate a wheel 18 of thickness T.sub.2.
The attachment bar 32 is affixed to frame 30 and extends forward the frame
30. The attachment bar 32 is adapted to be rigidly affixed to the rear 12
of a towing vehicle 10. Ideally, the towing vehicle 10 has a rear mounted
tubular type hitch receiver 34, so that attachment bar 32 is preferably
provided in a square tubular type hitching bar, so that bar 32 can be
slidably inserted into the hitch receiver 34. A conventional hitch pin
130, attached to bar 32 via chain 132, can be inserted through an aperture
134 provided in attachment bar 32, and through a complimentary aperture
136 (not shown) provided in hitch receiver 34 (after alignment of the
apertures 134 and 136) to fixedly secure towing apparatus 14 to the hitch
receiver 34. A keeper 138 such as a cotter pin, adapted to fit through a
keeper hole 140 in pin 130, may be utilized for keeping hitch pin 130 in
place to assure that towing apparatus 14 remains affixed to the towing
vehicle 10.
I prefer to build the towing apparatus 14 in a configuration as illustrated
where the attachment bar 32 is affixed to the forward side portion 48 of
the front stop plate 36. Ideally, a plurality of stiffening angle portions
150 are provided between the attachment bar 32 and the frame 30. In the
configuration illustrated, the stiffening angle portions 150 are welded to
the attachment bar 32 and to the front side portion 48 of front stop plate
36, forming a wedge therebetween to minimize deflection between the front
stop plate 36 and the attachment bar 32.
To load a machine 16 with a single spoked front wheel 18 for towing, the
front wheel 18 of machine 16 is driven up the ramp 20 until the front
wheel 18 is located in the towing apparatus 14. The ramp has a ground end
151 and a footplate end 152. The ramp 20 is provided to extend from ground
154 level to the rearward tip end 156 level of footplate 60. This enables
the user to use the ramp to load the front wheel of a motorcycle for
towing. To accomplish this task, the ramp 20 is provided with a main body
portion 160, a ground or landing portion 162, and a loading portion 164.
Roughly, the ramp is provided with a landing portion 162 joined to the
body portion 160 at an angle delta (.DELTA.) of approximately one hundred
fifty degrees (150.degree.), to provide a gradual upwardly sloped ramp 20.
At the upper end of the ramp 20, the loading portion 164 is preferably
provided in the shape of a downwardly directed lip which fits over the tip
end 156 of footplate 60. Preferably, the loading portion 164 fits snugly
against the upper surface 63 of said footplate 60 when the ramp 20 is in
the loading position. Basically, the loading portion 164 is provided for a
distance sufficient to provide adequate support during the usual movement
experienced when loading the relatively heavy machine 16 in the tow
apparatus 14. Ideally, the ramp 20, including the loading portion 164, has
a width at least as wide as the footplate, namely width R as seen in FIG.
3 and as noted above.
It is to be appreciated that the novel towing device provided by the
present invention is a significant improvement in the state of the art of
towing devices for motorcycles or other machines having a single spoked
front wheel. My novel insert is relatively simple, and it substantially
decreases the cost and complexity involved in towing such machines behind
a towing vehicle.
It is thus clear from the heretofore provided description that my novel
motorcycle carrier, as mounted on a towing vehicle and used to carry
machines having a single front spoked wheel (whether a motorcycle having
one rear wheel or other machines having additional rear wheels) is an
appreciable improvement in the state of the art of devices for towing such
machines. Although only a few exemplary embodiments of this invention have
been described in detail, it will be readily apparent to those skilled in
the art that the my novel towing device may be modified from those
embodiments provided without materially departing from the novel teachings
and advantages provided by this invention, and may be embodied in other
specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential
characteristics thereof. Therefore, the embodiments presented herein are
to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive. As
such, the claims are intended to cover the structures described herein,
and not only structural equivalents thereof, but also equivalent
structures. Thus, the scope of the invention, as indicated by the appended
claims rather than by the foregoing description, is intended to include
variations from the embodiments provided which are nevertheless described
by the broad meaning and range properly afforded to the language of the
claims, or to the equivalents thereof.
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